Safety device for elevators.



J. H. SCHWEBLE.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16. 1915.

1 1 62,1 1 O. Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

a O i Z j 5 j Z fi a J (mm/away -i nesses I I I I, Inventor, Wt N 7 f? f6 Z by W Attorneys JOHN HENRY scHw n B E, or trolvoran, NEVADA.

SAFETY'DEVVIC'E FOR ELEVATORS.

" Tonopah, in the county of Nye andState of Nevada, have invented a newand useful Safety Device for Elevators, of which the following is aspecification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is adapted tobe employed upon an elevator of any desired sort, for the purpose ofpreventing the elevator from dropping an appreciable or damagingdistance when the hoist rope breaks."

The invention aims to providenovel means for controlling the latcheswhich limit the'downward movement of the, elevator, and to providenovelmeans wherebysuch latches may be'controlled by the action of the bailwhere\vi'ththe hoisting rope is assembled; I e

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and'toenhance the utility of devices of that type to'which the presentinvention appertains.

Vith the above and other objects in view which willappear asthe'description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of theinvention. i

In the accompanying drawing :Figure 1 shows the invention inlongitudinal section; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, the cuttingplane being passed at right angles to the cutting plane in Fig. 1; Fig.3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The invention contemplates the use of a shaft 1 which may be variouslyfashioned without jeopardizing the utility of the invention. As shown,the shaft 1 comprises a wall 2 provided with upright guide ribs 3, anopposed wall 41, and rectangularly disposed end walls 5. The end walls 5may carry at vertically spaced intervals, opposed projections or cleats12, but one pair of which is shown in the drawings.

Mounted to reciprocate in the shaft 1 is an elevator 6 which may be ofanv desired form. As shown, the elevator 6 is of bucketlike constructionand embodies a side 7, an opposed side 8, and rectangularly disposedSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

Application filed April 16, 1915. Serial No. 21,913. 1 I

end walls 9. The walls 7 and 8 project below the bottom 10 of theelevator to form extensions 11 and the Walls 9 project below the bottom10 to form extensions 30. That side .of the elevator 6 which is definedby the wall 7 slidesbetween the guide ribs 3 in engagement with the wall2 of the shaft 1, the opposed side'8 of the elevator being slidable incontact with the wall 4 of the shaft 1. By means of the guide ribs 3,the elevator 6 is directed in its reciprocating movement, and'theseribs,-further, serve to spacethe end walls 9 of the elevator from thecorresponding parts 5 of the shaft 1, for

a purpose which will be set forth herein-- after. A's a-jgeneralstatement, however, it will be understood that sundry important elementsto be mentioned hereinafter will-be found useful in connection withelevators and shafts differing from those above de scribed. 7

The depending extensions 11 of the elevator 6 carry horizontally spacedshafts'lat on which are mounted for swinging movement in parallelvertical planes, latchesl5, the latches being fulcrumed intermediatetheir ends on the shafts. The latches 15 are prevented from movinglongitudinally of the respective shafts 1 1 by means of collars 16 orother devices adapted to a like end. With the upper ends ofthe latches15, the inner or lower ends of flexible elements 17 are connected asshown at 18, the flexible elements 1? being carried laterally beneaththe bottom 10 and being extended upwardly through openings 19 formed inthe depending extensions 30 of the elevator 6. The flexible elements 17are carried upwardly along the ends 9iof the elevator G and are securedas shown at 20 to enlarged feet 21 formed at the lower ends of aU-shaped bail 22 to which the hoisting rope or other flexible element 23is connected. The feet 21 of the ball 22 are provided with elongatedslots 24, receiving slidablv, guiding projections 25 on the elements 9of the elevator 6. The swinging movement of the bail 22 in one directionmay be limited by stops 26 on the elevator 6.

Fastening devices 27 are secured to the outer edges of the walls 9 ofthe elevator and to these fastening devices are attached the upper endsof downwardly extended. re-

tractile helical springs 28. The springs 28 are flexed inwardly at theirlower ends across the lower ends of the extensions 30 of the elevatorand are attached by means of fastening devices 29 to the latches 15below the fulcrums 1st of the latches. i

It will now be understood that the guide ribs 3 coact with the elevator6 to space the same apart from the walls 5 of the shaft 1, to the endthat thebail 22, the springs 28' and the flexible elements 17 (at theirupper ends) may not be interfered with by the shaft 1 when the elevator6'is raised and lowered. I

WVhen the hoisting rope 23 is intact and when the weight of the elevator6 is carried thereinto, the bail 22 will be pulled upwardly, the samesliding on the guiding projections 25. \/Vhen the bail 22 is thusuplifted, as occurs at all'times when the structure is in proper workingcondition, the flexible elements 17 are drawn upon and serve to tilt thelatches 15 on their fulcrum shafts 14, so that the lower ends of thelatches are swung inwardly, clear of the projecting cleats 12, asclearly shown in Fig. 2, the springs 28 being put under tension,

So long as the hoisting rope 23 is not broken, the latches 15 willremain in the 7 positions of Fig. 2and the elevator 6 may be raised andlowered readily. So soon, however, asthe rope 23 breaks, the bail 22will move downwardly, slacking away the flexible elements 17.Tl1ereupon,the-springs 28 will react on the latches 15 and swing thelower ends of the latches 15 outwardly. The, latches15, undersuchcircumstances will engage with the cleats 12 or their mechanicalequivalents when the elevator 6 descends and therefore, the downwardmovement of the elevator will be stopped.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that when. the hoist rope 23 givesaway, the lower ends ofthe latches 15 will be swung outwardly {and willcoact with the shaft 1, to limit the dropping of the elevator, a fallingof the elevator with attendant disastrous consequences being thereforeavoided.

The structure herein disclosed is simple in form and comprises a minimumnumber of is claimed is 1. In a device of the class described, anelevator; a supporting member mounted to move along one side wall of theelevator; a latch pivoted to the elevator; a connection between thesupporting member andthe latch and located along said side wall of theelevator; a spring forming a connection betweenthe latch and theelevator and located along said side wall ofthe elevator; a shaftcomprising walls; and a guide rib carried by one of the walls of theshaft the guide rib coacting with the elevator to space said side wallof the elevator from the other wall of the shaft, thereby to define apassageway receiving the supporting member, the spring and theconnection, when the elevator reciprocates. in

2. In a device of the class described, an elevator; latches fulcrumedintermediate their ends on the lower portion of the elevator;a bailembodying arms slidable longitudinally of the elevator; flexibleelements securedat their upper ends to the arms and carried downwardly,longitudinally of the elevator, and laterally across the lower end ofthe elevator, the inner, lower ends of the flexible elements beingsecured to the upper ends of the latches; yieldable means for swingingthe lowerends of the latches outwardly; and a pin and slot connectionbetween the arms and the elevator, whereby the elevator may be supportedby the bail independently of the flexible elements.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN HENRY SOHWEBLE.

Witnesses:

A. SANDERS, v I MARK R. AVERILL.

Gop'ies'of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissibnrof Patents,

Washington, D. C.

